Method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame

ABSTRACT

A method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame includes the steps of: closing first and second mold cores to define therebetween a mold cavity having a shape corresponding to that of the end piece, the mold cavity having an injection hole communicating with an external environment; injecting metal clay through the injection hole into the mold cavity at a high pressure to form an end piece blank; separating the first and second mold cores to expose the mold cavity and then ejecting the end piece blank from the mold cavity by a blank ejector module; and subjecting the end piece blank to a sintering process.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame.

BACKGROUND

As the life of modern people becomes richer, emphasizing fine workmanship on any article has become a trend. The same is true in the optical industry, whether it be a pair of lightweight rimless eyeglasses or a pair of highlighted rimmed eyeglasses, attention is given to the exquisiteness of the end pieces of the eyeglasses. A variety of production method is proposed as to how to connect the end piece to the lens or lens holder.

Referring to FIG. 1, an existing pair of rimless eyeglasses 9 includes a pair of lenses 91, a bridge 92 having two opposite sides respectively connected to inner sides of the lenses 91, a pair of nose pads connected to the bridge 92, two end pieces 93 respectively connected to outer sides of the lenses 91, and two temples 94 respectively connected to the end pieces 93 opposite to the lenses 91. When the rimless eyeglasses is worn by a user, the nose pads are disposed on two opposite sides of the user's nasal bridge, and the temples 94 are hooked on the user's ears, so that the lenses 91 are disposed in front of the user's eyes.

The current trend for wearing eyeglasses, apart from the basic purposes, such as correction for eyesight and isolation from strong sunlight, is to show its exquisiteness and to match with the overall fashion decoration. Each end piece 93 of the existing eyeglasses, limited by current technology standard, can only be made by first using a metal processing, after which the metal body is cut, bent, folded, drilled, and welded to form the shape of the end piece, and finally, the processing steps of polishing, grinding and electroplating to obtain the actual end piece 93. However, the produced end piece 93 has sharp edges, traces of welding, non-uniform thickness of the electroplating layer, etc., which are exposed at the outer surface thereof and visible to the people, so that the willingness of the consumers to buy is reduced.

Although the end piece 93 is only a small component, following the wealth and progress of the society, the eyeglasses has moved from a necessity stage to a luxury stage. How to develop a new method for making an end piece that has an exquisite flawless appearance and that has a small finished product error is one of the goals to be pursued by skilled personnel of this field.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame.

According to this disclosure, a method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame, in which the end piece includes an end piece main body having a continuous smooth and undulating outer surface and an inner surface opposite to the outer surface, a pivot seat extending outwardly from the end piece main body and configured to be pivoted to a temple of the eyeglass frame, and a connecting portion extending outwardly from the end piece main body opposite to the pivot seat and configured to be connected to a lens or lens holder of the eyeglass frame, comprises the steps of: closing a first mold core and a second mold core of a molding apparatus to define therebetween a mold cavity having a shape corresponding to that of the end piece, the mold cavity having an injection hole communicating with an external environment, and a junction line that is formed when the first and second mold cores are closed and that corresponds to the inner surface of the end piece main body; injecting metal clay formed from a mixture of metal powder and polymer binder through the injection hole into the mold cavity at a high pressure to form an end piece blank, the end piece blank including a blank end piece main body having a continuous smooth and undulating blank outer surface and a blank inner surface opposite to the blank outer surface, a blank pivot seat extending outwardly from the blank end piece main body, a blank connecting portion extending outwardly from the end piece main body opposite to the blank pivot seat, and a blank connecting protruding line located on the blank inner surface; separating the first and second mold cores to expose the mold cavity and then ejecting the end piece blank from the mold cavity by a blank ejector module, the blank ejector module including two spaced-apart ejector pins to respectively contact the blank connecting portion and the blank pivot seat for ejecting the end piece blank from the first or second mold core; and subjecting the end piece blank to a sintering process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of existing rimless eyeglasses;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in a method of making an end piece according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the end piece made according to the method of the first embodiment, a lens holder with lens, and a temple of a rimmed eyeglass frame;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, illustrating first and second mold cores of a mold apparatus for making the end piece of the first embodiment being separated from each other and an end piece blank being ejected therefrom; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an end piece made according to the method of the second embodiment of this disclosure, a lens and a temple of a rimless eyeglass frame; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, illustrating first and second mold cores of a mold apparatus for making the end piece of the second embodiment being separated from each other and an end piece blank being ejected therefrom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying embodiment, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the steps involved in a method of making an end piece according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The end piece 1 made according to the method of the first embodiment is configured to be connected between a lens holder 400 and a temple of a rimmed eyeglass frame, as shown in FIG. 3. The rimmed eyeglass frame further includes a lens 100 held in the lens holder 400.

With reference to FIG. 3, the end piece 1 made by the method of the first embodiment includes a substantially L-shaped end piece main body 11, a pivot seat 12 and a connecting portion 13. The end piece main body 11 has a continuous smooth and undulating outer surface 111, an inner surface 112 opposite to the outer surface 111, and two side surfaces 113 (only one is visible in FIG. 3) each of which interconnects one end of the outer surface 111 and a corresponding end of the inner surface 112. A junction between each side surface 113 and the corresponding one of the inner and outer surfaces 112, 111 is rounded. The pivot seat 12 extends outwardly from the end piece main body 11, and includes two pivot portions 121 (only one is visible in FIG. 3) having outer surfaces 122 extending integrally and respectively from the side surfaces 113 of the end piece main body 11, spaced apart from each other in a top-bottom direction, and respectively formed with through holes 123 for insertion of a pivot screw (not shown) therethrough. The connecting portion 13 may be connected to the lens holder 400 using a welding or other connecting process. In this embodiment, when the lens 100, the temple 300, the lens holder 400 and the end piece 1 are assembled to form the rimmed eyeglass frame, the pivot seat 12 is pivoted to the temple 300, and the connecting portion 13 is welded to the lens holder 400. Through this, the pivot seat 12 and the connecting portion 13 of the end piece 1 are respectively hidden in a junction between the pivot seat 12 and the temple 300 and a junction between the connecting portion 13 and the lens holder 400. When rimmed eyeglasses (not shown) incorporating the end pieces 1 of the this disclosure is worn by the user, other people can only see the outer surfaces 111 of the end pieces 1, and if the user looks closely at the rimmed eyeglasses, only the inner and outer surfaces 112, 111 of the end pieces 1 can be seen by the user.

The method of making the end piece 1 according to the first embodiment includes steps 21 to 24, as shown in FIG. 2. The steps of the method of the first embodiment will be described in combination with FIGS. 3 and 4.

In step 21, a first mold core 31 and a second mold core 32 of a molding apparatus are closed to define therebetween a mold cavity 33 having a shape corresponding to that of the end piece 1. The mold cavity 33 has an injection hole 331 communicating with an external environment, and a junction line that is formed when the first and second mold cores 31, 32 are closed. To achieve the continuous smooth and exquisite appearance of the outer surface 111 of the end piece main body 11, and considering the contact pressure when the first and second mold cores 31, 32 contact each other, the junction line is disposed at a position corresponding to the center of a length direction of the inner surface 112 of the end piece main body 11 in order to facilitate subsequent surface treatment process which will be described in detail later.

In step 22, metal clay formed from a mixture of metal powder and polymer binder is injected through the injection hole 331 into the mold cavity 33 at a high pressure to form an end piece blank 4.

The formed end piece blank 4 includes a blank end piece main body 41, a blank pivot seat 42, a blank connecting portion 43, and a blank connecting protruding line 44. The blank end piece main body 41 has a continuous smooth and undulating blank outer surface 411, a blank inner surface 412 opposite to the blank outer surface 411, and two blank side surfaces 413 (only one is visible in FIG. 4) each of which interconnects one end of the blank outer surface 411 and a corresponding end of the blank inner surface 412. The blank pivot seat 42 extends integrally and outwardly from the blank end piece main body 41. The blank connecting portion 43 extends outwardly from the blank end piece main body 41 opposite to the blank pivot seat 42. The blank connecting protruding line 44 is formed on the blank inner surface 414. The blank pivot seat 42 includes two blank pivot portions 421 having outer surfaces 422 extending integrally and respectively from the blank side surfaces 413, spaced apart from each other in a top-bottom direction, and respectively formed with through holes 423. As such, the entire end piece blank 4 can present a continuous smooth and undulating metal texture and has no sharp edges.

The injection hole 331 is located at a position corresponding to the blank connecting portion 43, so that the trace formed by the injection hole 331 can be restricted in the connecting portion 13 of the formed end piece 1. Specifically, in this embodiment, the trace formed by the injection hole 331 is completely hidden in the junction between the connecting portion 13 and the lens holder 400 after assembly of the rimmed eyeglass frame and cannot be seen from the outside, so that the exquisite appearance of the rimmed eyeglass frame will not be affected. Further, the injection hole 331 may also be disposed at a position corresponding to the pivot seat 12, a detailed description of which is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

In step 23, after the end piece blank 4 is cooled and set, the mold is opened by separating the first and second mold cores 31, 32 to expose the mold cavity 33, after which a blank ejector module 5 is used to eject the end piece blank 4 from the mold cavity 33. The blank ejector module 5 includes two spaced-apart ejector pins 51 which contact the blank inner surface 412 in proximity to the blank connecting portion 431 and the blank pivot seat 42, respectively. Through this, contact points of the ejector pins 51 can be hidden during assembly of the rimmed eyeglass frame and are not visible from the outside. Hence, the exquisite appearance of the finished product can be maintained.

Finally, in step 24, the end piece blank 4 is subjected to a sintering process and a surface treatment process to obtain the end piece 1. In further details, the end piece blank 4 is first sintered, after which it undergoes the surface treatment process, such as polishing, grinding, blunting, electroplating and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating. After the blank connecting protruding line 44 is eliminated, the end piece 1 obtained has the outer surface 111 and the inner surface 112 that are completely flawless.

After completing the aforementioned steps, as shown in FIG. 3, the end piece 1 can be connected to the lens holder 400 by using a welding or engaging method and to the temple 300 by a pivot connection. Since the method of making the end piece 1 for the rimmed eyeglass frame according to the present disclosure is different from the manufacturing method of the components of the existing eyeglass frame, the produced end piece main body 11 completely has no sharp corners or edges, no traces of welding, and will not have the issue of non-uniformity of electroplating layers. In addition, the traces of the injection hole 33, the contact positions of the ejector pins 51 and the blank connecting protruding line 44, which cannot be avoided during the manufacturing process and which can affect the exquisite appearance of the rimmed eyeglass frame, are all hidden in the junction between the end piece 1 and the lens holder 400 and the junction between the end piece 1 and the temple 300. Thus, the end piece 1 having smooth and aesthetic outer and inner surfaces 111, 112 can be made and obtained.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, an end piece 1′ made according to the method of the second embodiment of this disclosure is configured to be connected between the lens 100 and the temple 300 of a rimless eyeglass frame. The end piece 1′ manufactured by the second embodiment is generally identical to that of the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the connecting portion 13 has an engaging portion 132 extending from the inner surface 112 of the end piece main body 11 in a direction away from the outer surface 111 and configured to engage and embed in a reserved hole 101 of the lens 100. When the lens 100, the temple 300 and the end piece 1′ are assembled to form the rimless eyeglass frame, the pivot seat 12 of the end piece 1′ is pivoted to the temple 300, while the engaging portion 132 of the connecting portion 13 is engaged to and embedded in the reserved hole 101 of the lens 100. Through this, the pivot seat 12 and the connecting portion 13 of the end piece 1′ are respectively hidden in a junction between the pivot seat 12 and the temple 300 and a junction between the connecting portion 13 and the lens 100.

The steps of the method of the second embodiment are generally identical to those described in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. However, in step 22 of the second embodiment, the blank connecting portion 43 of the formed end piece blank 4′ has a blank engaging portion 432 extending from the blank inner surface 412 of the blank end piece main body 41 in a direction away from the blank outer surface 411. The injection hole 331 of the mold cavity 33′ is located at a position corresponding to the blank engaging portion 432, so that the trace formed by the injection hole 331 can be restricted in the engaging portion 132 of the formed end piece 1′. As such, when the rimless eyeglass frame is assembled, the trace of the injection hole 331 is hidden in the reserved hole 101 of the lens 100, and is not visible from the outside, so that the exquisite appearance of the rimless eyeglass frame will not be affected.

In step 23, the two ejector pins 51 respectively contact the blank engaging portion 432 and the blank pivot seat 42.

When the ejector pins 51 contact the end piece blank 4′ so that residual traces are inevitable which will affect the overall exquisite appearance of the end piece blank 4′, and when the contact pressure of the ejector pins 51 are not uniform so that the end piece blank 4′ is deformed during ejection, the ejector pins 51 of this method are restricted to be located at the blank engaging portion 432 and the blank pivot seat 42, respectively, so that the end piece blank 4′ can receive a uniform force from the ejector pins 51, and the contact points are hidden at locations not visible from the outside after assembly of the rimless eyeglass frame. Hence, the overall exquisite appearance of the finished product can be maintained.

In sum, the method of making the end piece 1, 1′ of the present disclosure employs the cooperation of the first and second mold cores 31, 31′ 32 and the metal clay injection in step 22 to hide the blank connecting protruding line 44 in the blank inner surface 414 which is not visible from the outside. In addition, by placing the contact positions of the ejector pins at the blank pivot seat 42 and the blank connecting portion 43, respectively, or at the blank pivot seat 42 and the blank engaging portion 432, respectively, traces of the contact positions of the ejector pins can be hidden during assembly. Hence, the produced end piece 1, 1′ can meet the demand of the new era, and has an aesthetic and exquisite appearance. Therefore, the object of this disclosure can be realized.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, Fig., or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.

While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making an end piece of an eyeglass frame, the end piece including an end piece main body having a continuous smooth and undulating outer surface and an inner surface opposite to the outer surface, a pivot seat extending outwardly from the end piece main body and configured to be pivoted to a temple of the eyeglass frame, and a connecting portion extending outwardly from the end piece main body opposite to the pivot seat and configured to be connected to a lens or lens holder of the eyeglass frame, said method comprising the steps of: closing a first mold core and a second mold core of a molding apparatus to define therebetween a mold cavity having a shape corresponding to that of the end piece, the mold cavity having an injection hole communicating with an external environment, and a junction line that is formed when the first and second mold cores are closed and that corresponds to the inner surface of the end piece main body; injecting metal clay formed from a mixture of metal powder and polymer binder through the injection hole into the mold cavity at a high pressure to form an end piece blank, the end piece blank including a blank end piece main body having a continuous smooth and undulating blank outer surface and a blank inner surface opposite to the blank outer surface, a blank pivot seat extending outwardly from the blank end piece main body, a blank connecting portion extending outwardly from the end piece main body opposite to the blank pivot seat, and a blank connecting protruding line located on the blank inner surface; separating the first and second mold cores to expose the mold cavity and then ejecting the end piece blank from the mold cavity by a blank ejector module, the blank ejector module including two spaced-apart ejector pins to respectively contact the blank connecting portion and the blank pivot seat for ejecting the end piece blank from the first or second mold core; and subjecting the end piece blank to a sintering process.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the injection hole is located at a position corresponding to the blank connecting portion.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting portion has an engaging portion for connection with the lens, and the blank connecting portion has a blank engaging portion extending from the blank inner surface in a direction away from the blank outer surface.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the injection hole is located at a position corresponding to the blank engaging portion.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the end piece blank to a surface treatment process after the sintering process.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blank end piece main body further has two blank side surfaces each of which interconnects one end of the blank outer surface and a corresponding end of the blank inner surface, the blank pivot seat including two blank pivot portions having outer surfaces extending integrally and respectively from the blank side surfaces of the blank end piece main body, the blank pivot portions being spaced apart from each other in a top-bottom direction and respectively formed with through holes, one of the ejector pins of the blank ejector module contacting the outer surface of one of the blank pivot portions. 